I have installed a network adapter card which Windows recognises as a 10/100M PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter in order to free up the USB port that I am currently using for my Broadband Internet connection from my ntl set-top box. The BIOS has assigned the same Interrupt Number 11 to the new network adapter as is already assigned to the Intel B2371AB/EB PCI to USB universal Host Controller which was supplied by ntl to enable the Broadband Internet connection to work via the USB port. There is a note in installation booklet for the network adapter card to the effect that some BIOS programs do this and as a result neither device will work properly. They say one must run the COMS Setup utility and manually assign a non-conflict Interrupt Number. IRQ Numbers 9 and 10 are free so it looks as if that's what I will have to do. I have had to remove the network card (not physically but by removing it via Control Panel and rebooting without allowing the New Hardware Wizard to reinstall it) to get the Broadband connection working again via the USB port to post this message Can you please tell me how to run the COMS Setup utility. Chris Pickup

I don't know COMS setup but have a similar IRQ11 conflict. Fortunately everything works. What was suggested to me was to put the NIC in a different PCI slot, if one is available. This might be worth a try. Seems like way back when a NIC used to come with a DOS utility which would run diagnostics and allow setting the IRQ. I recently worked on a laptop PCMCIA 3COM NIC which had such a utility on the friver disk. If your NIC came with no drivers or no such included util, it might be worth a look at the mfg site. HTH M2

To run the cmos (bios) setup, look for something on the order of; "Hit DEL to enter setup" when you do a cold boot of the machine. It'll be on the very first screen you see. Your key maybe F1 or F10, but DEL is most common. To further on M2Go's response, here's some info from my cards manual regarding the PCI slot issues and bios configuration; Some PCI computers are not self-configuring and require you to perform some or all of the following functions by motherboard jumper changes and/or BIOS Setup configuration: Verify that the PCI slot is an enabled bus-master slot and not a slave PCI slot. The SMC1244TX must be installed in a PCI bus-master slot. In some computers the PCI slot must be configured to enable bus mastering. Refer to your PC’s manual and check the PCI BIOS Setup program to be sure the PCI slot is an enabled bus-master slot. In some computers, you may be required to disable Plug-and-Play in the BIOS Setup program if resources are not properly assigned between the network card and other installed cards. Some computers may require you to reserve interrupts and memory addresses for installed ISA cards to prevent PCI cards from using the same settings. Refer to your PC’s manual and check the PCI BIOS Setup program configuration options for ISA cards. Make sure the PCI slot is configured to support INTA. Ensure that INTA for the slot is assigned to a free interrupt (IRQ) number.

This isn't necessarily bad. There aren't enough IRQs available to go around so they must be shared. I wouldn't be concerned if all works.

OtheHill, Yeah, but in this case all doesn't. M2